The Detroit Lions had everything they wanted this time around.
After losing the NFC Championship game last season to the San Francisco 49ers, the Lions had a strong 15-2 record this year, securing the top seed in the NFC. They earned a first-round playoff bye, meaning they wouldn’t have to leave Ford Field until the Super Bowl.
But it didn’t matter.
The Lions fell apart against the Washington Commanders, committing five turnovers in a 45-31 loss that ended their chance to reach the Super Bowl again. Coach Dan Campbell, who struggled to hold back tears at his postgame press conference, expressed frustration.
“We just didn’t complement each other,” he said. “We didn’t get a stop when we needed one, and when we got a stop, we turned the ball over. With five turnovers — even if one was at the end and it was really four, that’s too much.”
Quarterback Jared Goff took much of the blame. He threw three interceptions and lost his first fumble of the season. One of the interceptions was returned 40 yards for a touchdown by Quan Martin, giving the Commanders a 24-14 lead.
“If I play better, do we win? Quite possibly,” Goff said. “I cost us points by not taking care of the ball, and that’s something that’s going to hurt for a long time.”
Despite his struggles, Goff wasn’t the only issue. Washington’s rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, played exceptionally well, throwing passes that gave his receivers the chance to gain yards after the catch. Of his 299 passing yards, 188 came after the catch.
“We knew what the tape said about him,” Campbell said. “We knew we were going to have our hands full and we didn’t handle it as well as we wanted.”
But that wasn’t the only problem. Detroit’s already injury-plagued defense gave up 481 yards, their third-highest total of the season. The Commanders ran for 182 yards, with Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler combining for 124 yards on 21 carries. Daniels also added 51 yards on the ground.
Detroit was unable to sack Daniels at all, a continued issue since losing star defender Aidan Hutchinson to a broken leg in October. Hutchinson had hoped to return in time for the Super Bowl, but his injury left a noticeable gap in the defense.
The Lions also lost cornerback Amik Robertson to a broken arm early in the game, adding to the long list of injuries for a struggling defense.
“That hurt us a bit, but (Kindle Vildor) came in and played well,” Campbell said. “He competed for us.”
However, the injuries couldn’t explain all the mistakes. Detroit had a chance to change the game early in the fourth quarter when they were down 31-28. The Commanders faced a fourth-and-2 from the Lions’ 5-yard line, and a stop could have kept them in the game.
But the Lions were penalized for having 12 players on the field. On the next play, Robinson ran it in for a touchdown, pushing the lead to 38-28.
Campbell took responsibility for the mistake, but there was still time to fight back. However, another baffling decision sealed their fate. With the Lions still trailing by 10, coach Campbell called a play where wide receiver Jameson Williams was supposed to throw a pass to running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
Williams hesitated, rolled right, and threw an ill-advised pass into coverage. Rookie Mike Sainristil intercepted the ball for his second pick of the night, and Washington took over, running down the clock before scoring another touchdown to make it 45-28.
“Obviously, I wish he had run the ball,” Campbell said.
Last year, Campbell had discussed how difficult it was to put a team in a position to reach the Super Bowl. He had pointed out that their loss to the 49ers might have been their best chance. But this time, Campbell couldn’t bring himself to talk about it.
“This isn’t the time — this hurts too much,” he said. “This isn’t the time to talk about our great season and all our wins. The whole point of playing is to get to the biggest game and we didn’t make it.”
